To Likeness or Not to Likeness

As I have been training AI image models for quite time now, I have been noticing a pattern in the real world, not in the models. Expectations for what counts as a "real" image are perhaps decreasing, or at least a high level of realism is no longer expected—and that seems to be acceptable. This is interesting to observe because, with this new mindset, we are witnessing the emergence of a new aesthetic for our times. For example, a friend of mine shared the logo for her new business, and I pointed out a visible mistake—at least to my eyes. The silhouette of the woman in the logo was missing part of her arm. I mentioned this to my friend, but she was not concerned about the mistake. She simply laughed and said it was totally fine. More recently, two professionals posted pictures promoting their businesses using AI-generated images in which their likenesses were not very accurate. It was not merely a filter smoothing their skin; the model had slightly altered their facial features.…